Thyme and Cheese Bread

My baking recipe this week is another bread, of course. Bread is a staple in our home, I personally cannot eat anything without a couple of thick slices… well, almost anything and since we started our blogs, I tried a ton of recipes, some good, some bad but nothing as delicious as the one I’m about to share.

One of our faves and also one of our first recipes on our blogs, is the olive and cheddar bread, a delicious yeasted bread made from a combination of all purpose flour, whole wheat and a lot more of other goodies. Since then however, we learned a few tricks and we improved our technique, so to speak, and we decided to re-make some of our old and favorite recipes, starting with this gorgeous bread.

This bread is made without yeast and it only takes a tiny bit over an hour to have it ready, from the moment you start getting the ingredients together, until you take it out of the oven, it is that fast. Though you might think it is the same like the original, it is not, this is a totally different animal and the only thing they have in common is the taste, which was in both cases, sublime. Still, you have to experience it for yourself, so I suggest get backing and let me know what you think.

Preheat the oven to 350° F / 175° C. Grease and line a 12 inch (30 cm) loaf pan with parchment paper. If you don't have a 12 inch loaf pan, I would split the batter and bake it in 2 regular loaf pans. Set aside.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pepper, and chili flakes in a large bowl. Mix them well. Add the cheeses, olives, and thyme leaves and mix.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs together. Add the olive oil and buttermilk and whisk to combine.

Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the egg mixture. Stir until it becomes a thick sticky batter. I used a wooden spoon to mix everything together. If the batter is too dry add some more buttermilk, or if it's too wet add some more flour. Scrape it into the prepared tin and top with extra thyme leaves or sprigs if preferred. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave the loaf to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.